Faith Hope Love
by 3 Star Jeneral
Summary: It's time... It's finally time.
1. Faith Hope and Love- Chapter 1

A/N:

Despite how much I beg and stomp my feet, these amazing characters are not mine. They are merely taking a stroll with me. I'll have them home by teatime!

Many thanks to my wonderful Beta for all her help!

* * *

Chapter 1- Faith

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we will shortly begin our descent into Reagan National Airport. Please observe the fasten seatbelt signs and ensure your tables are stowed and your seats are in the upright positions."

Sam lifted the standard issue plastic glass to her lips and drank down the remainder of the amber liquid in her glass. Drinking at 16:00 was extremely uncharacteristic of her but this wasn't any ordinary day.

December 23rd was special.

It was _THE_ day.

She looked around her, taking in her surroundings. People returning home for Christmas. Children with their parents, young couples, smiling grandparents. Stewardesses with Santa hats and flashing earrings. All full of the excitement of the upcoming holidays.

If she were 100% honest with herself, she couldn't quite believe thas she was doing this. She thought back to when she had answered the phone call and heard him casually ask her what her plans were for Christmas. Her heart had pounded against her rib cage so hard that she was sure he could hear it. She had tried desperately, to keep some measure of calm in her voice but failed miserably when a squeak of _"Oh, nothing much"_ escaped her lips. She closed her eyes in embarrassment and she was quite certain that she could 'hear' him grinning.

"Check your email Sam," he had casually said, "your ticket is there."

The fact that he was officially no longer her C.O made her insides do things that she normally didn't allow.

He was no longer _'off limits Jack'_ , a fact that everyone else seemed to also be aware of. This had been confirmed when she had requested an extra few days leave from General Landry. He had smiled a knowing smile, granted it immediately, and told her with a wink to ' _enjoy herself and to say hi to Jack'_ for him.

She took one last look in the mirror of the ladies room and, adjusting her leather jacket a final time, walked out towards the arrivals hall.

 _'Have faith in yourself Sam, it'll be fine._ _It's just Jack._ _Just Jack, who you've loved for 8 years._ _Just Jack, who's on the other side of the arrivals hall waiting.'_

 _Just Jack..._

The moment she rounded the corner, a kaleidoscope of butterflies erupted in her belly. There he stood waiting for her, leaning against a pillar; handsome, gorgeous and sexy, wearing a pair of dark blue slacks and a black sweater. She allowed her eyes to travel from top to toe and back up again, and watched, as a slow smile appeared on his face.

"Drop it." He said, his dark eyes falling on her bag.

Jack took two steps towards her, and still looking into her eyes, uncurled her fingers from around the handles, allowing the bag to drop to the floor by her side.

"Hey," she said, her gaze firmly on her eyes.

"Hey yourself," he replied, his eyes falling momentarily to her lips.

He held his left hand aloft and they both looked up to were he was holding a small bunch of fresh mistletoe above them.

"Drop it," she said, repeating his earlier sentence, and smiling when his hand came down, the mistletoe falling forgotten at their feet. After all this time, they didn't really need mistletoe anyway.

Jacks gaze returned to her eyes, giving her one last moment to take a step back. When she didn't, he raised his hands and cupped her face, lowering his lips to hers.

Suddenly, silence descended and time seemed to momentarily stand still. Her fingers squeezed his waist where her hands had been resting and pulled him gently towards her.

She had waited eight long years for this moment, and man, oh, man, was it worth every single second. His lips were soft but strong as he kissed her, slowly and with such reverence that it took her breath away. All of her fears, all of her uncertainty disappeared. He broke off their kiss and leaned his forehead on hers.

"Not here." He said breathlessly, his eyes still closed. "I have plans for you. Let's go home."

Sam followed him, as she always had, knowing that this time though, it would lead not to danger, but to her future.


	2. Faith Hope & Love: Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Hope

Jack lifted her suitcase with one hand and took her hand with the other. They walked hand in hand, to his old beat up truck, the familiar smell of the vehicle invading her senses; a mixture of the worn supple brown leather and his aftershave . She had missed this, she had missed him. They drove to his new fancy Townhouse, chatting about everyday things, that easy familiarity they'd had for so many years, returning to them, as though they'd never been apart.

"I'm really glad you're here Sam." He said suddenly. "I've missed you more than you know."

Realising that she could now tell him that she had missed him too, she wasted no time in doing just that.

"I thought you might bail on me," He said quietly. "But I hoped that you wouldn't."

"And miss Jack O' Neill cooking a turkey? I don't think so!" She quipped.

"Oh and pie, don't forget the pie." He retorted, reaching out to snake his fingers into hers. He lifted their tangled hands to his lips and kissed hers, lingering for just a moment. Sam sighed and Jacks mouth curved into that devilish half smile that had always made her tummy flip. Their hands remained intertwined, neither wanting to break the little contact they had. Jack pulled up outside a very impressive Townhouse in a beautiful neighbourhood in Georgetown, and Sam stared at the stunning red bricked facade. She took in the details, from its pristine white sash windows, with matt black shutters to its shining black front door adorned with a large red and green wreath. So very perfect, so very Jack. Sam didn't move, just stared.

"You ok? You look spooked?" He asked, an edge of concern evident in his voice.

Sam turned, and looking directly at him, said "Oh yes, I'm fine, just acutely aware of what lies behind that gorgeous front door."

"A hallway, a living room , a kitchen..." Jack countered with a wave of his hand towards the building.

"No I mean, I know what's going to happen behind that door, and once that happens, everything changes."

"Nothing _has_ to happen Sam, I've made up the guest room for you. Everything can stay as it is, if that's what you want." He declared, squeezing her hand tightly.

Sam could hear the sincerity in his voice, and she was momentarily taken aback at how much of a gentleman Jack O'Neill actually was.

"No, that's the thing Jack," Sam whispered, lifting her eyes to look into his. "I don't want it to stay the way it is, and I don't think it could, even if we wanted it to."

Jack looked at her and nodded slowly, understanding exactly what she meant. There wasn't any way that things could stay the same, not now that he was no longer her CO, not when she was here, when he had her hand held in his and she was squeezing her creamy skin against his weather worn brown fingers.

She looked at him, then down at their hands, then out the windscreen to the welcoming sight of his front steps and then, finally back to his face.

"Shall we begin?" She asked. "I think it's time." He smiled a knowing smile at her, shut off the engine and said "Yes Sam, I think it is."


	3. Fitch Hope and Love-Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Love

"Now that is what I call a tree." Sam exclaimed as she stared at the 10ft Douglas Fir which stood proudly in the living rooms large bay window.

"How many lights are on that thing? You could probably land a plane using them."

"I lost count, probably about 2000 or so." He said quietly. He stepped up behind her, gently placing his arms around her waist and placed his chin on her shoulder. "This ok?" He asked into her ear.

"More than ok." She replied, pulling his arms tighter around her.

"Good." He said. 'Ever since I decorated that tree, I've imagined us standing here exactly like this.' "You wanna see the rest of the house?"

She nodded and he took her hand, leading her from room to room, pausing to point out details he thought she would like. A view from a particular window, the sconces in the hallway, the claw footed tub in the main bathroom. When he got to the master bedroom, she looked around. A large walnut sleigh bed, matching furniture, cream curtains and bedding. Very clean, very comfortable. Sam turned to Jack, looking at him quizzically.

"Where are my things?"

He had taken her suitcase upstairs when they first got there but they were nowhere to be seen.

"They're in here." Jack said, walking across the hall to the spare bedroom. A pretty green room which was smaller but still cozy.

"Why are they in there?" She asked.

"I told you Sam, no pressure." He replied.

She reached down, picked up her case, carried it back across the hall and deposited it by the side of his bed.

"I sleep on the right, I hope that's ok." She said quietly.

"Perfectly..."

* * *

Having eaten their fill of a rather delicious pizza, they sat on Jacks cozy overstuffed sofa in front of a blazing fire, drinking hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows from funny Santa shaped mugs and talked for hours.

It seemed perfectly natural when Jack leaned in, and kissed her after a particularly funny exchange about a previous mission, where Daniel had been dragged into a 'Dance Off' with a local tribesman. He reached his hands down to the mug, still clasped in her hands and took it from her, placing it on the coffee table. He kissed her lips, softly at first but then with the passion she had always known he had inside him. They sat like teenagers, kissing on the sofa, the regulations that once kept them apart, long forgotten. When they finally broke apart, he took her face in his hands and whispered;

"I love you Sam. I've always loved you."

"I know." She replied, relieved at being able to say the words she'd kept so close to her heart, for such a long time. "I love you too. I've loved you since..."

"The ice cave?" He cut her off. They were still in sync.

"Yeah."

* * *

Sam awoke the following morning to a warm body snuggled up behind her, a warm arm slung over her waist and warm breath on her neck. She closed her eyes, remembering the details of the previous night and couldn't help the smile from forming on her face.

Her skin still tingled where his body had pressed against hers. Her lips still tasted of his kisses and the hands she had fantasised about for close to a decade, had touched her with a gentleness that she had never expected.

Jack O'Neill had caused her to experience pleasure, the likes of which she had never dreamed of.

* * *

Jack stirred in his bed, his arm around her waist, his lips near her neck and his mind filled with memories of last night.

Memories of pleasure, of ecstasy, of declarations of love. He loved this woman and she loved him just as much.

Jacks hand snaked out and his fingers tangled with hers. December 23rd had been a special day. He looked down at their hands, the large diamond on her finger glistening in the streak of sunlight peeking through his curtains.

Sure, he could have asked her on Christmas Day, but that would be a bit of a cliche, and well, everyone knew how Jack O'Neill felt about cliches...


End file.
